US Sen Blumenthal looking for answer this morning on Metro-North power crisis

U.S. Sen Richard Blumenthal this morning will put Consolidated Edison President Craig Ivey in the hot seat during a congressional field hearing to investigate last month’s surprise power failure along the Metro-North commuter line.

The 10 o’clock hearing will take place in Bridgeport’s City Council Chambers, at 45 Lyon Terrace. Blumenthal will lead a session of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation’s subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety and Security. The hearing will look into the causes of the outage, its economic impact and how to prevent similar failures from happening in the future. The session will go on until 12:15 p.m. in the City Council Chambers of Bridgeport City Hall.

Besides Ivey, others scheduled to testify at the hearing include MTA Metro-North Railroad President Howard Permut, Connecticut Transportation Commissioner Jim Redeker, John Hartwell of the Connecticut Rail Commuter Council, Amtrak President and CEO Joseph Boardman, Otto Lynch from the American Society of Civil Engineers and Joseph McGee of the Business Council of Fairfield County. U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Congressman Jim Himes (D-4) and Congresswoman Elizabeth Esty (D-5) will also attend.